The U.S. Forest Service this week released its environmental assessment of a significant forest restoration project that is slated for as many as 3,000-plus acres between Gross Reservoir and Nederland, just ahead of its draft decision on how the agency will proceed.

The Forest Service's Boulder Ranger District, Roosevelt National Forest office will release its draft decision on the Forsythe II project the first week of December.

And, while more than 300 public comments have been collected to date, no further objections to the plan are being solicited until that draft decision is made public next month.

The Forsythe II Project proposes a range of management activities with the primary goals of restoring the forest; lowering the risk of crown fire within the project area; reducing the impacts on watersheds in the event that a wildfire does occur; and providing opportunities for neighboring property owners to create defensible space on the National Forest boundary near their homes.

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Proposed forest management activities include cutting, thinning and controlled burning in lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, aspen and meadows. Most of the cut debris will be removed or piled to burn during winter months.

Vivian Long, president of the board of directors of the Magnolia Forest Group, which is monitoring the Forest Service's plans for the area, said on Wednesday that she had not yet had an opportunity to read all the way through the 227-page environmental assessment, and so her thoughts about its contents — and the agency's intentions — were not far along.

"I have read that they have added the language that we have been pushing for," she said. "They are still including caveats, but they are at least saying a good portion of the project area is in the upper montane zone. We have fought hard for that, because they have said 'lower montane,' or 'montane,' and that makes a big difference in terms of forest composition."

In addition to public comments solicited through the USFS process proposing the project, another 755 people, from as far away as France, have signed an online MoveOn.org petition urging that the agency "scrap" the project.

The petition contends that Forsythe II "will damage our local forest without reducing fire danger. Replace it with a minimalist, ecologically sound project such as the one submitted by Magnolia Forest Group."

The alternative put forth by the Magnolia Forest Group does not seem to have found a high degree of traction with the Forest Service.

It is one of nine different plans that were analyzed — although one of the nine was the "no action" alternative. The Magnolia Forest Group's proposal, which called for minimal forest cutting and an emphasis of monitoring and patrols, was not accepted on the grounds that it would not meet the purpose and need of the project," although some of its components have been integrated into other alternatives under consideration

Four potential options were given the most detailed analysis. One of them, the Forest Service's originally proposed action, involved treating about 3,151 acres of the 9,930 acres of land within the project area. That would include 2,483 acres of mechanical/hand treatment and 968 acres of controlled burns. In addition, another 203 acres bordering on private property could be treated by homeowners wanting to create defensible space.

The remaining three alternatives are all modifications to the originally proposed action. One, for example, proposes treating just 2,334 acres. A third alternative targets 2,717 acres and the fourth considers a total of 2,855 acres for treatment.

Once the Forest Service issues its draft decision on Forsythe II early next month, that will kick off the formal 30-day objection period. Formal objections will only be accepted from those who have previously submitted written comments on the proposed project during previously designated opportunities for public input.

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